Editorial: It's time to get grip on planning

Every day Southern Nevadans must combat the remnants of poor planning in the valley, whether it's getting tied up in traffic delays or not having a local park for their children to play in. Too few public schools and increasing pollution also come to mind, rounding out some of the most egregious examples of inadequate foresight.

To be fair, Southern Nevada has grown beyond even the most optimistic projections envisioned a decade ago. Still, one of the contributing factors has been the inability of local governments to think about the big picture. The lack of regional planning has meant that each municipality frequently approves new developments as if they have blinders on, not acknowledging the impact on other sections of the valley.

The need for "smart growth" is an issue that even Washington has started to notice. Vice President Al Gore last week unveiled the administration's $10 billion "Better America Bonds" program that would let state and local governments use interest-free financing to preserve open space, build parks, protect wetlands and clean up industrial sites that have been abandoned.

During the 1997 Legislature, lawmakers decided against setting up a regional planning body in Southern Nevada that would look at growth and its impacts in a comprehensive fashion. The Legislature instead decided on a task force to study growth issues, the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority.

Many of the planning authority's recommendations have been criticized because they don't have concrete plans of attack, deferring issues for further study. But so far an effective dialogue has emerged from this process, with local government officials sitting down together and hashing out their common concerns.

Rather than creating a centralized government authority with complete control over development issues, the Southern Nevada Strategic Planning Authority instead recommended that an outgrowth of the planning authority be established. The Southern Nevada Regional Planning Coalition will be a group of officials representing all local governments that will offer nonbinding advice on important issues before the county or individual municipality takes action.

It doesn't appear as if a groundswell is developing for a single government authority to oversee planning. But if local government leaders think they've dodged a bullet and fail to follow through with comprehensive planning, they will be in for a rude awakening. During the 1999 Legislature lawmakers should grill local officials to flesh out exactly what it is they have in store for the next two, three and even five years.

Southern Nevada's local governments will have two years to prove that they can effectively coordinate and manage growth together. If they can't, then the next Legislature should establish a regional planning commission, which would have the sole authority to decide what types of development should be allowed throughout the valley.

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